7 Home Hacks to Start 2017 Off Right

Whether you hope to do a big remodel or simply need to deep clean, the beginning of the year is always a popular time to check off some of those pesky things on your household to-do list. Luckily, not every project has to be a big chore. Tackle the list head-on using some of these easy DIY videos. With these low cost, time saving ideas, you’ll never look at home improvement projects the same way again.

1. Clean the Oven Glass in a Snap

You can spend all afternoon scrubbing the kitchen, but if your oven glass window is dingy, it can bring down the look of your otherwise spotless cooking space. Luckily, you don’t have to take apart the oven door every time you want to clean this hard-to-reach area. To wipe it down, bend a wire hanger so that it forms a long rod. Attach a rag over the hanger and use a rubber band to hold it in place. Simply slide the rag up into the area between the door and the window to clean the glass, and you can say goodbye to the gunk.

2. Keep Your Shower Head Clean

Have you ever noticed the unsightly black buildup around your showerhead? Forget trying to scrape or scrub it off. Instead, fill a plastic bag with white vinegar and attach the bag to the showerhead using a rubber band. Leave it on for at least an hour, so that the vinegar can loosen all of the buildup. After you carefully remove the bag, the dirt and grime should wipe away easily with an old rag.

3. Rearrange Without Ruining the Carpet

Moving furniture around is a great way to refresh a room, but the dents in the carpet where your furniture used to sit can have you second-guessing whether or not it’s worth it to move the sofa. Luckily, you can easily remove the dents with ice cubes. Place the cubes over the dented space and let them melt, then vacuum the area or use a fork to rake the carpet fibers back in place.

4. Patch Up the Scratch in Your Wood Floor

From heavy furniture to stiletto heels, there are plenty of ways to scuff a beautiful wood floor. If you put a scratch or a ding in your wood floor, don’t despair; you don’t need to refinish the whole surface to fix the gouge. Instead, take fresh walnuts and crush them into the scratches. The walnuts release natural oils as they are crushed, which fill in the scratched area and leave a polished look. Use a rag to remove the walnuts and wipe the area for a shiny finish.

5. Drill a Hole Without a Bit

If you want to hang a picture but don’t have a drill bit, you don’t have to make an extra run to the hardware store. Just find a nail that is a little smaller than the screw you want to put into the wall. Gently hammer the nail into the wall, but make sure that it doesn’t get stuck. Pull the nail out and your screw should go easily into its ready-made hole.

6. Clean Dirty Window Blinds

Dirt and dust love to settle on window blinds, and it can be difficult to know how to approach this tricky cleaning task. To remove dust, place an old sock on your hand and spray it with a vinegar and water solution. Run your hand over each section of the blinds, and the sock and solution pick up the dirt particles along the way. Alternatively, run a dryer sheet over the blinds to lift dust and slow it from settling on the surface. For a deeper clean, remove the blinds and soak them in the bathtub, then hang them to dry before returning to the window.

7. Easily Paint Behind the Toilet

Painting behind the toilet can seem like one of the most daunting tasks of transforming your bathroom’s color, but it doesn’t have to be. With an edger and a paint stick, you can safely apply paint to that hard-to-reach spot. To do this, tape the edger to the end of the paint stir stick. Dip the edger into your paint, and use the stick to reach the tough spots. Worried about getting paint on your toilet tank? Skip the cumbersome drop cloths. Instead, cover the tank with a garbage bag to prevent any drips or brushstrokes from making their way onto the porcelain.

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